Shepherds Pie's in the oven - will be nice n fresh when we get there.. Very much looking forward to meeting you all

Steve & Sheryl

Steve, great party!

Thank you.

2nd. Was great to meet everyone, inc Perri and to have the book signed Maybe by the next time a party is held I'll actually have something I can play

Sorry we had to leave early but one of our dogs got out

Pictures from the party. I wish I had taken more but there were so many people to talk with I sort of lost track of time.

Here is our guest of honor, Pique, answering questions after reading from Grand Obsessipns (L-R Mynor ( Penny's husband), Dave Davies from Washington state - he came with Del Fandrich, Burkhard Stein from Grotrian, Pique and Herb, (my FIL):


The food table - pretty much mowed through by the time I took this picture:


Frank Baxter from PW - he played several pieces:


Ricky from WTF (he's Rick on TNCR) also played several pieces - he plays very well!


Steve and Sheryl from WTF (TTigg):


Penny from PW of yore, interviewing with Swati from the Times:


Len from and Steve Cohen, both from PW. Steve performed close-up magic tricks - he's very good!

Mynor and his son Jonathan performing a duet of "Wipeout" for guitar and piano:


L-R back - Niles Duncan. Steve (TTigg) Jonathan, Penny, Frank Baxter, front - Herb:


L-R back - Del Fandrich, Niles Duncan, Steve (TTig), Jonathan,enny, Swati, Rick (WTF, TNCR) on floor peeking out from behind the piano is Barabra Fandrich. Front is Herb, Pique (PW, WTF) and Gerhard Steiner


Rich Galassini needs no introduction - he's everywhere!

Michael Knize, Pique's brother. He plays jazz - sweet!


Michael and Pique:


The rest of the pictures I have turn out to be mostly duplicates of the ones I have already posted.

This one is the exception, and I think it's my favorite. This is Penny's husband Mynor and their daughter, snuggled up in a chair listening to Ricky play the piano.

And for me, this is as good as it gets.

Steve.. Hope someone took a pic of you!!??

It certainly was generous of you to host an “open house” piano gathering. I would have loved to have been a part of a west coast gathering. So far I've only gone as far west as Durango!


Normally there’s enough of a challenge in just remembering guests names. You not only kept up with the names but the extended piano forums!

Anyway, thanks for posting pics. It’s always a pleasure to see everyone gathered for a piano event.

Left party late. Got up at 5:30AM to catch an early flight. Just got home.

Party was great. Thanks to all. Details when I wake up....tomorrow afternoon!

Thanks again Steve Miller - the party was great, the piano was great! It's always a pleasure to put faces & personalities to monikers. I look forward to diving into pique's new book.

Steve Cohen - I don't remember you being such a great magician, but you certainly had me wowed!

Thank you and your wife both for opening up your house and offering your hospitality to us! Sorry I couldn't stay longer, but I did score an autographed copy of Grand Obsession!

Jim

Palindrome sure gets around.

I wish I could have been there! So many faces from early on in "forum history"!! Looks like you all had a great time!

Jodi (who is probably the only one who has yet to get ahold of a copy of the book, but I'll do it soon, I promise!)

Hi Apple*, hi Jodi!!!!

penny
and yes, Palindrome DOES get around. I've met him twice before!

hi, guys! i am home at last, greeted by subzero temperatures and a husband carrying a big down coat to pick me up at the airport. brrrr!

steve's a terrific host and i really regret not being able to spend more time getting to know him. i got to meet his wife and in-laws, and also his three dogs! the dogs of course made a big impression, especially the labradoodle who is mostly poodle and a real sweetheart. (OK, ok, i know, you are not as interested in the dogs as i am.)

anyway, it was a great party, i wish more of you had been able to make it. but we had a very good crowd. carl demler of beethoven pianos made a brief appearance, along with a couple of friends. my older half-brother, mike, drove down from san francisco for the occasion and treated us to his blues riffs, which he used to play for me when i was a kid on our old upright.

burkhard stein, the managing director of grotrian was there. and penny! i finally got to meet penny! del and barbara fandrich were there, rich galassini, and many more. frank baxter and i hung out together a lot during NAMM and he's great fun.

mike commented on how surreal it was, just having read "grand obsession" to come to a party and meet some of the characters live and in person.

steve cohen entertained us with his "close up" artistry. i will never figure out how he does those magic tricks. you can watch as closely as you like, but you can't see how he does it.

i read from the "piano world" chapter. i could have read longer but i figure better to leave 'em wanting more.

my brother peter (who some of you met in nyc) has just posted a video of me reading at barnes and noble on youtube. you can find it by visiting my website and clicking on the 'news and events' page. grandobsession.com

i am trying to catch up on email, snail mail, and phone messages and now must prepare for my next reading, here in town next week, by getting out another zillion postcards and email announcements.

looks like i'm going to be on both the right and left coasts again later this spring, though at more northerly latitudes.

thanks so much steve and sharon for hosting this party and sharing your absolutely beautiful home with all of us! it was a real gift to meet so many pw old-timers at long last.

No, actually I just go back and forth.

Hello!

I'm the Len in the pictures above. I haven't been a member here for very long, but since I live extremely close to Steve, I thought I'd drop by.

It was a fantastic night and I am even more impressed with the great people who frequent this forum. I look forward to both seeing and talking to you all in the future.

Len
Fullerton, CA

Palindrome,

How did I miss you?? DID I miss you?

Steve and Sharon,

Great party! I am sorry that I was so wiped out, but NAMM will do that to you. The party ended way too soon for me. My favorite part was watching Mynor and Johnathan jam together. They both looked like they were having so much fun - it didn't matter to me WHAT they played.

It was good to spend a little time with you all. It went by too fast.

We met briefly, I think right after Perri signed my copy of her book. I have a mustache and goatee. I was staying with 84-year old cousins in Laguna Woods, and left early because I wanted to get back before their bedtime (if they ever read this, they'll kill me). Great party, though. Did we make it into print in the LA Times yet?

i heard from the reporter today. it's definitely coming out this sunday on the calendar page.

The LA Times article is already posted on their web site, here...

http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-ca-knize27jan27,0,1759200.story

(my Google alerts email me whenever Grand Obsession or Piano World shows up on the Internet).

how fun! And check out the photo gallery link, too. There's proof that Palindrome really does get around (or rather, goes back and forth!). BTW, you look very distinguished in your goatee, Jim!

penny

Finally getting around to posting some pictures I took at the party.
Also posted some NAMM pictures in the NAMM Thread



















That was a full bowl of chips when you started Del






Continued next post

See other pictures, post above.





Penny threatens Pique' with a pie while Steve Coehn hustles Steve Miller with his close up magic

Steve, I'm looking for local piano players a little closer to home which is Oak Park, CA, Ventura County, just north of the San Fernando Valley. Would love to plug in with a group of adult players like yours if there is one. Any referrals? Thanks, Camille